Of Dice and Men

June 3, 2013
Forbes editor David Ewalt offers a genial history of Dungeon & Dragons and its impact on his own geek life. In the early1970s, two Midwesterners—a college student and a cobbler—drew elements from war games and fantasy novels to create the world’s most influential role-playing game. Within a few years of its genesis, D&D had become a flashpoint in the culture wars, as practitioners were accused of leading young men to murder, suicide and the church of Satan. D&D’s star soon faded due to corporate mismanagement and the rise of video game consoles, but recent years have seen a renaissance, which Ewalt charts, along with his own guilt-ridden return to the game. He follows a number of storylines, tracing the official history of D&D, his own introduction to the game, and his adult experiences as a player and reporter. Weaving the strands together are charming tales of his cleric character in a postapocalyptic America ruled by vampires. Oddly enough, the weakest sections of the book involve Ewalt’s descriptions of his life outside the imaginary dungeons. Nevertheless, this is a highly readable account of a game that seized the imagination of a generation and maintains its grip three decades later.

July 1, 2013

Ewalt (senior editor, Forbes) contributes to the recent spate of works on role-playing games (RPGs) in general and Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), the most popular of these games, in particular. But he sets his book apart by also relating his personal journey as a D&D player, beginning with his hesitant return to the world of RPGs after ten years away from D&D, describing how he gradually became an obsessed player again. The story is interwoven with explanations of the origins of RPGs, walk-throughs of some game scenarios, and the history of D&D, which was launched in 1974, well before video and online gaming. There are also chapters on the precursors and offshoots of these games, such as historical war games and live action role-playing games (LARPs). Ewalt digs deep into the nerdy depths, but some topics are more lightly covered, e.g., D&D codeveloper David Arneson's departure from the team. The rigor of the rest of the book more than makes up for the occasional vagueness. VERDICT Ewalt's personal memoir portions of the book will draw in more than the target members of this subculture, appealing to those hesitantly curious as well as the battle-tested D&D veteran. Enthusiastically reported and honestly written, this personal exploration of the D&D world is a great read.--Paul Stenis, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA

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